CHANGING BEHAVIORS IN EMERGENCY: IDENTIFYING SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS INFLUENCING KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES OF PEOPLE DURING COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN.
Main Article Content
Keywords
COVID-19, Knowledge, Attitude, Practices, Behavior Change
Abstract
On the one hand, COVID-19 has exposed human systems' vulnerabilities, but it has also increased their capacity to withstand future pandemics. This study aimed to identify the factors that influenced knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding COVID-19. Pakistan had responded to the virus relatively well. Three South Punjab districts' worth of data were gathered using a structured questionnaire. The data analysis method employed was a multivariate regression model. The findings showed that age and gender had a negative relation with COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. On the other hand, knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding COVID-19 were positively and significantly influenced by family type, education, and income. For any upcoming pandemic, the study advised developing interventions firmly anchored in the socioeconomics of the region.
References
1. Akhtar, H., M. Afridi, S. Akhtar, H. Ahmad, S. Ali, S. Khalid, S. M. Awan, S. Jahangiri and Y. S. Khader. (2021). Pakistan's Response to COVID-19: Overcoming National and International Hypes to Fight the Pandemic. JMIR Public Health Surveill. 19; 7(5): e28517.
2. Ali, M.Y. and Bhatti, R. (2020). COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic: information sources channels for the public health awareness. Asia Pac J Public Health, 32: 168–9
3. Al-Jayyousi, G. F., M. A. M. Sherbash, L. A. M. Ali, A. El-Heneidy, N. W. Z. Alhussaini, M. E. A. Elhassan and M. A. Nazzal. (2021). Factors Influencing Public Attitudes towards COVID-19 Vaccination: A Scoping Review Informed by the Socio-Ecological Model. Vaccines (Basel). 24; 9(6): 548.
4. Anderson, R.M., Heesterbeek, H., Klinkenberg, D. and Hollingsworth, T.D. (2020). How will country-based mitigation measures influence the course of the COVID-19 epidemic? Lancet., 395: 931–4.
5. Arceo-Gomez, E. O., R. M. Campos-Vazquez, G. Esquivel, E. Alcaraz, L. A. Martinez and N. G. Lopez. 2022. The income gradient in COVID-19 mortality and hospitalization: An observational study with social security administrative records in Mexico. The Lancet Regional Health - Americas; 6: 100115.
6. Ballering, A. V., S. Oertelt-Prigione, T. C. O. Hartman and J. G. M. Rosmalen. (2021). Lifelines Corona Research Initiative. Sex and Gender-Related Differences in COVID-19 Diagnoses and SARS-CoV-2 Testing Practices During the First Wave of the Pandemic: The Dutch Lifelines COVID-19 Cohort Study. J. Womens Health. (Larchmt). 30(12):1686-1692.
7. Bambra, C., Riordan, R., Ford, J. and Matthews, F. (2020). The COVID-19 pandemic and health inequalities. J Epidemiol Community Health, 74(11), 964-968.
8. Bekele, D., Tolossa, T., Tsegaye, R. and Teshome, W. (2021). The knowledge and practice towards COVID-19 pandemic prevention among residents of Ethiopia. An online cross-sectional study. PLOS One, 16(1), e0234585.
9. Chang, W. H. (2020). Understanding the COVID-19 pandemic from a gender perspective. Taiwan J. Obstet. Gynecol. 59(6): 801-807.
10. Chen, J. and Krieger, N. (2020). Revealing the unequal burden of COVID-19 by income, race/ethnicity, and household crowding: US county vs ZIP code analyses. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 19(1), S43-56.
11. Fatmi Z., S. Mahmood, W. Hameed, I. Qazi, M. M. Siddiqui, A. Dhanwani et al. (2020). Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19 among Pakistani residents: information access and low literacy vulnerabilities. East Mediterr. Health J. 26(12):1446–1455. https://doi.org/10.26719/emhj.20.133
12. Ferguson, N., Laydon, D., Nedjati, G.G., Imai, N., Ainslie, K., Baguelin, M., Bhatia, S., Boonyasiri, A., Cucunuba, P.Z. and Cuomo-Dannenburg, G. (2020). Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce COVID19 mortality and healthcare demand. Imperial College London (16-03-2020),
13. Galasso, V., V. Pons, P. Profeta, M. Becher, S. Brouard and M. Foucault. (2020). Gender differences in COVID-19 attitudes and behavior: Panel evidence from eight countries. Proc Natl. Acad. Sci. 3;117(44): 27285-27291.
14. Gillani, W. (2020). Coronavirus alert_ Pakistan braces up for huge quarantine after virus reaches via Iran. Dialogue The News. Retrieved November 6, 2022 from https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/62115 8-virus-alert
15. Haq, S., Shahbaz, P. and Boz, I. (2020). Knowledge, behavior and precautionary measures related to COVID-19 pandemic among the general public of Punjab province, Pakistan. The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries, 14(08), 823–835.
16. Ladiwala, Z.F.R., Dhillon, R.A. and Zahid, I. (2021). Knowledge, attitude and perception of Pakistanis towards COVID-19; a large cross-sectional survey. BMC Public Health 21(21).
17. Lee, H., Moon, S.J., Ndombi, G.O., Kim, K.N., Berhe, H. and Nam, E.W. (2020). COVID-19 perception, knowledge, and preventive practice: comparison between South Korea, Ethiopia, and Democratic Republic of Congo. Afr. J. Rep. Health, 24, 66–77.
18. Li, L. Q., T. Huang, Y. Q. Wang, Z. P. Wang, Y. Liang, T. B. Huang, H. Y. Zhang, W. Sun and Y. Wang. (2020). COVID-19 patients' clinical characteristics, discharge rate, and fatality rate of meta-analysis. J. Med. Virol. 92(6):577-583.
19. Lowcock, E.C., Rosella, L.C., Foisy, J., McGeer, A. and Crowcroft, N. (2012). The social determinants of health and pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza severity. Am. J. Public Health, 102(8), e51–8.
20. Mughal S. (2020). Coronavirus outbreak: Pakistan sets up scanners at major airports At least four patients have tested positive for COVID-19 in Pakistan. Retrieved November 6, 2022 from https://tribune.com.pk/story/2167237/1- coronavirus-outbreak-pakistan-sets-scannersmajor-airports/.
21. Ngwewondo, A., L. Nkengazong, L. A. Ambe, J. T. Ebogo, F. M. Mba, H. O. Goni et al. (2020) Knowledge, attitudes, practices of/towards COVID 19 preventive measures and symptoms: A cross-sectional study during the exponential rise of the outbreak in Cameroon. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 14(9): e0008700. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0008700
22. O’Connor, C. and Murphy, M. (2020). Going viral: doctors must tackle fake news in the covid-19 pandemic. BMJ. 369: m1587.
23. Rana, I. A., S. S. Bhatti, A. B. Aslam, A. Jamshed, J. Ahmad and A. A. Shah. 2021. COVID-19 risk perception and coping mechanisms: Does gender make a difference? International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 55; 1-10.
24. Rutter, P.D., Mytton, O.T., Mak, M. and Donaldson, L.J. (2012). Socio-economic disparities in mortality due to pandemic influenza in England. Int. J. Public Health, 57(4), 745–50.
25. Saqlain, M., Ahmed, A., Nabi, I., Gulzar, A., Naz, S., Munir, M.M., Ahmed, Z. and Kamran, S. (2021) Public Knowledge and Practices Regarding Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Cross-Sectional Survey from Pakistan. Front. Public Health, 9: 629015.
26. Sparrow, E. P. and J. Spaniol. (2016). Age-Related Changes in Decision Making. Curr Behav Neurosci Rep 3, 285–292 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40473-016-0091-4.
2. Ali, M.Y. and Bhatti, R. (2020). COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic: information sources channels for the public health awareness. Asia Pac J Public Health, 32: 168–9
3. Al-Jayyousi, G. F., M. A. M. Sherbash, L. A. M. Ali, A. El-Heneidy, N. W. Z. Alhussaini, M. E. A. Elhassan and M. A. Nazzal. (2021). Factors Influencing Public Attitudes towards COVID-19 Vaccination: A Scoping Review Informed by the Socio-Ecological Model. Vaccines (Basel). 24; 9(6): 548.
4. Anderson, R.M., Heesterbeek, H., Klinkenberg, D. and Hollingsworth, T.D. (2020). How will country-based mitigation measures influence the course of the COVID-19 epidemic? Lancet., 395: 931–4.
5. Arceo-Gomez, E. O., R. M. Campos-Vazquez, G. Esquivel, E. Alcaraz, L. A. Martinez and N. G. Lopez. 2022. The income gradient in COVID-19 mortality and hospitalization: An observational study with social security administrative records in Mexico. The Lancet Regional Health - Americas; 6: 100115.
6. Ballering, A. V., S. Oertelt-Prigione, T. C. O. Hartman and J. G. M. Rosmalen. (2021). Lifelines Corona Research Initiative. Sex and Gender-Related Differences in COVID-19 Diagnoses and SARS-CoV-2 Testing Practices During the First Wave of the Pandemic: The Dutch Lifelines COVID-19 Cohort Study. J. Womens Health. (Larchmt). 30(12):1686-1692.
7. Bambra, C., Riordan, R., Ford, J. and Matthews, F. (2020). The COVID-19 pandemic and health inequalities. J Epidemiol Community Health, 74(11), 964-968.
8. Bekele, D., Tolossa, T., Tsegaye, R. and Teshome, W. (2021). The knowledge and practice towards COVID-19 pandemic prevention among residents of Ethiopia. An online cross-sectional study. PLOS One, 16(1), e0234585.
9. Chang, W. H. (2020). Understanding the COVID-19 pandemic from a gender perspective. Taiwan J. Obstet. Gynecol. 59(6): 801-807.
10. Chen, J. and Krieger, N. (2020). Revealing the unequal burden of COVID-19 by income, race/ethnicity, and household crowding: US county vs ZIP code analyses. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 19(1), S43-56.
11. Fatmi Z., S. Mahmood, W. Hameed, I. Qazi, M. M. Siddiqui, A. Dhanwani et al. (2020). Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19 among Pakistani residents: information access and low literacy vulnerabilities. East Mediterr. Health J. 26(12):1446–1455. https://doi.org/10.26719/emhj.20.133
12. Ferguson, N., Laydon, D., Nedjati, G.G., Imai, N., Ainslie, K., Baguelin, M., Bhatia, S., Boonyasiri, A., Cucunuba, P.Z. and Cuomo-Dannenburg, G. (2020). Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce COVID19 mortality and healthcare demand. Imperial College London (16-03-2020),
13. Galasso, V., V. Pons, P. Profeta, M. Becher, S. Brouard and M. Foucault. (2020). Gender differences in COVID-19 attitudes and behavior: Panel evidence from eight countries. Proc Natl. Acad. Sci. 3;117(44): 27285-27291.
14. Gillani, W. (2020). Coronavirus alert_ Pakistan braces up for huge quarantine after virus reaches via Iran. Dialogue The News. Retrieved November 6, 2022 from https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/62115 8-virus-alert
15. Haq, S., Shahbaz, P. and Boz, I. (2020). Knowledge, behavior and precautionary measures related to COVID-19 pandemic among the general public of Punjab province, Pakistan. The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries, 14(08), 823–835.
16. Ladiwala, Z.F.R., Dhillon, R.A. and Zahid, I. (2021). Knowledge, attitude and perception of Pakistanis towards COVID-19; a large cross-sectional survey. BMC Public Health 21(21).
17. Lee, H., Moon, S.J., Ndombi, G.O., Kim, K.N., Berhe, H. and Nam, E.W. (2020). COVID-19 perception, knowledge, and preventive practice: comparison between South Korea, Ethiopia, and Democratic Republic of Congo. Afr. J. Rep. Health, 24, 66–77.
18. Li, L. Q., T. Huang, Y. Q. Wang, Z. P. Wang, Y. Liang, T. B. Huang, H. Y. Zhang, W. Sun and Y. Wang. (2020). COVID-19 patients' clinical characteristics, discharge rate, and fatality rate of meta-analysis. J. Med. Virol. 92(6):577-583.
19. Lowcock, E.C., Rosella, L.C., Foisy, J., McGeer, A. and Crowcroft, N. (2012). The social determinants of health and pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza severity. Am. J. Public Health, 102(8), e51–8.
20. Mughal S. (2020). Coronavirus outbreak: Pakistan sets up scanners at major airports At least four patients have tested positive for COVID-19 in Pakistan. Retrieved November 6, 2022 from https://tribune.com.pk/story/2167237/1- coronavirus-outbreak-pakistan-sets-scannersmajor-airports/.
21. Ngwewondo, A., L. Nkengazong, L. A. Ambe, J. T. Ebogo, F. M. Mba, H. O. Goni et al. (2020) Knowledge, attitudes, practices of/towards COVID 19 preventive measures and symptoms: A cross-sectional study during the exponential rise of the outbreak in Cameroon. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 14(9): e0008700. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0008700
22. O’Connor, C. and Murphy, M. (2020). Going viral: doctors must tackle fake news in the covid-19 pandemic. BMJ. 369: m1587.
23. Rana, I. A., S. S. Bhatti, A. B. Aslam, A. Jamshed, J. Ahmad and A. A. Shah. 2021. COVID-19 risk perception and coping mechanisms: Does gender make a difference? International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 55; 1-10.
24. Rutter, P.D., Mytton, O.T., Mak, M. and Donaldson, L.J. (2012). Socio-economic disparities in mortality due to pandemic influenza in England. Int. J. Public Health, 57(4), 745–50.
25. Saqlain, M., Ahmed, A., Nabi, I., Gulzar, A., Naz, S., Munir, M.M., Ahmed, Z. and Kamran, S. (2021) Public Knowledge and Practices Regarding Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Cross-Sectional Survey from Pakistan. Front. Public Health, 9: 629015.
26. Sparrow, E. P. and J. Spaniol. (2016). Age-Related Changes in Decision Making. Curr Behav Neurosci Rep 3, 285–292 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40473-016-0091-4.
Article Sidebar
Published
Oct 10, 2023
Article Details
How to Cite
Sumaira Bano, Ayesha Chaudhry, Babak Mahmood, Nazia Malik, & Muhammad Imran. (2023). CHANGING BEHAVIORS IN EMERGENCY: IDENTIFYING SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS INFLUENCING KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES OF PEOPLE DURING COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN. Journal of Population Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology, 30(17), 2466-2475. https://doi.org/10.53555/jptcp.v30i17.4250
Section
Articles
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles published in JPTCP are licensed under Copyright Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Author Biographies
Sumaira Bano
Department of Sociology, Govt. College University, Faisalabad.
Ayesha Chaudhry
Department of Sociology, Govt. College University, Faisalabad.
Babak Mahmood
Department of Sociology, Govt. College University, Faisalabad.
Nazia Malik
Department of Sociology, Govt. College University, Faisalabad.
Muhammad Imran
Lecturer department of Economics, Ghazi University, DG Khan. Postal Code: 32200
How to Cite
Sumaira Bano, Ayesha Chaudhry, Babak Mahmood, Nazia Malik, & Muhammad Imran. (2023). CHANGING BEHAVIORS IN EMERGENCY: IDENTIFYING SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS INFLUENCING KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES OF PEOPLE DURING COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN. Journal of Population Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology, 30(17), 2466-2475. https://doi.org/10.53555/jptcp.v30i17.4250